British luxury brand Stella McCartney has launched a flash sale store on Alibaba’s invitation-only Luxury Pavilion portal, which is reserved for the country’s VIP members, to sell items from fashion to footwear and handbags. The move is a first among fashion labels owned by Kering, the parent company of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta.

Stella McCartney is using Tmall Space, an “online pop-up store” marketing tool. The flash sale continues until January 15. Stella McCartney’s eco-friendly fashion is fuelled by her innovative and tenacious spiritThe British fashion powerhouse follows LVMH-owned Spanish fashion brand Loewe as the second big-name luxury player to utilise Luxury Pavilion since its launch in August.

“We’re delighted to work with Stella McCartney and are excited to see how Chinese consumers respond to their presence,” says Sébastien Badault, Alibaba Group’s director of international fashion and luxury and managing director for France. The development signals an easing in tension between the French luxury conglomerate and China’s e-commerce behemoth.

In August, Kering Group dropped a lawsuit against Alibaba, which it accused of being involved in the sales of fake designer handbags, and signed a joint agreement to fight against fake goods sellers and to protect its brands’ intellectual property rights. The about-turn highlights the importance of the Chinese e-commerce retail market for international luxury brands. According to KPMG, half of domestic luxury consumption in China will be generated online by 2020.

For Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, receiving the endorsement from Kering is a strong boost to the expansion of its luxury business. Whether Luxury Pavilion will become a key place for luxury brands to sell products in the country remains to be seen. The e-commerce giant, which traditionally targets the mass market, faces an uphill battle to reposition itself as a legitimate luxury goods e-tail platform.